Flightkit's Guidance
by shriekingsiren
Summary: A tiny kit goes to Starclan. Her paw's spark stardust with each step, and she grows wiser than her age with every passing moment. The cats of Starclan know Flightkit has a destiny like any other cat. Follow her from birth, to death, to beyond in this short story inspired by Honeyshine's littermate.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: hey! someone suggested doing a Flightkit POV so here we go. Icon lineart credits to BoogaMouse on deviantart - watermark is still there! enjoy!

* * *

A gray she-cat lay in the corner of a dark tangle of maple branches, her belly swollen. Moonlight trickled in, letting enough light in to see the other cats crouched around her. The gray cat let out a low moan as a powerful spasm rippled down her body.

"You're doing brilliantly, Mintleap," a dainty silver tabby mewed, her fluffy pelt shining in the pale light. "It won't be long before those beautiful kits of yours are here, and then the pain will be nothing but a fading memory." Mintleap hissed something inaudible in response, cut off by another contraction. "I said it wouldn't be long. Mintleap, with the next pain, I need you to push with all your might."

As if on cue, another spasm rippled down the she-cat's swollen flank, and her face twisted in agony with the strain of her pushing. The silver tabby bent down by her tail and lifted a tiny kit a few moments later, it's paws churning the air and it's mouth open in a silent cry.

"It's a tom," the silver cat purred, placing the kit at a dark ginger cat's paws. "Lick his fur the wrong way, he will dry out and warm up quickly then." Mintleap's eyes shone with love for a moment before being clouded with agony once again. "Alright, another push with this pain."

It wasn't long before the second kit joined them, weaker than the first, but it's mouth once again open in a tiny cry.

"A daughter," the dark ginger cat who had been watching purred. She licked Mintleap's head reassuringly as she gave birth to another kit and relaxed back into her nest of moss.

"Another daughter, Mintleap!" The silver tabby's eyes were shining with delight as she pushed all the kits to their mother. "Well done."

"Thank you, Pricklestream," Mintleap sighed, before giving each of her kits a few gentle licks. The kits' fur was beginning to dry and fluff up, showing a hint of their coloring. One was a replica of her mother, while the tom was a dark ginger. The youngest of them, already paddling strongly at her mother's belly, was a kit the color of honey.

A large light-brown tom pushed his way into the nursery, his eyes shining with delight. "Three of them?" He purred, pressing his muzzle to his mate's tenderly. "You did brilliantly! Look at them, they're beautiful, and so strong!"

"Yes, well done, Mintleap," the ginger cat purred, settling in to her nest. Her belly was slightly rounded, betraying the kits that were beginning to grow within her, but she had two more moons before her own ordeal would begin.

"Thank you, Gingertail," Mintleap mewed, her eyes closed as her mate fussed over her. Before long, she felt herself falling into sleep.

* * *

Mintleap sat up, taking care not to move her sleeping kits. She strained her ears to listen to Needlefall, the new deputy, ordering patrols, before moving to the entrance of the nursery to catch her mate's attention.

"Brackenfall!" She called, beckoning him to her with her tail. His eyes lit up and he padded to her, touching his nose to hers when he got close enough. "It's been two sunrises. I think it's time to name them."

He nodded excitedly and followed her into the nursery, the warm scent clouding around them. He nosed the kits gently. "Look at the tabby stripes on this one," he purred, gesturing to the ginger tom. "He looks like a red bumblebee. We should call him Beekit."

Mintleap nodded, then flicked her tail at the pale golden kit. "And she should be Honeykit. It matches her pelt perfectly, and with luck, she'll be sweet as honey to both of us and her mentor."

Brackenfall purred, then his eyes rested on the gray kit. "You know when the sun begins to rise," he murmured, not moving his gaze from his daughter, "how the mourning doves all take off in flight?" Mintleap nodded. "She looks like them. We should call her Flightkit."

His mate nodded, and he pressed his nose to the kits once more before facing Mintleap. "I'm going on the sunhigh patrol. I'll be back before sunset, and I'll make sure to bring you something warm to eat. Take care," he added, pressing his pelt to hers before dashing into the clearing.

Mintleap returned to her sleeping kits, curling her body around them gently. She began to give them each a gentle bath, getting to know each of their smells like they were the most important scents in the forest - and to her, they were.

She lapped at Flightkit's ears before noticing her daughter was shivering. She pulled the kit closer to her belly and returned to bathing her. A chill ran down her spine when she noticed that her daughter's ears were warm and her pelt smelled faintly of the sickness that had so recently claimed their clan leader.

"Gingertail," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "I need you to fetch Pricklestream." When the ginger she-cat took a moment to open her wide blue eyes, Mintleap let out an urgent hiss. "Now!"

The queen was up at once at the sound of her friend's worried mew, darting across the clearing like she was diving into battle. She returned several heartbeats later, with Pricklestream practically treading on her tail behind her.

"What's wrong?" The medicine cat panted, her normally calm gaze betraying a hint of alarm.

"Something's wrong with Flightkit," Mintleap said desperately, nosing at the tiny cat at her belly. She pressed her nose to Beekit and Honeykit's pelts. "And Honeykit feels warm… but Flightkit was shivering, and she smells like…" her voice trailed off, begging Pricklestream to pick up what she was saying.

The medicine cat was already sniffing the two she-kits, her pelt bristling. She gently pressed her nose into Flightkit's fur, where the scent of illness and the heat of fever had already set in. Honeykit did not carry the sour scent that her sister did, but her pelt was hot, and it wouldn't be long before they both began to show symptoms.

"I think they have the same sickness Milkstar had," Pricklestream whispered. She turned to Gingertail, clearing her throat. "I'm going to give you some borage, Gingertail. I want you to suckle Beekit until these two are healthier - in my den, as soon as your milk comes."

The queen nodded and glanced at Mintleap, her blue gaze anxious. "Mintleap won't catch it, will she?"

Pricklestream hesitated, but Mintleap twitched her tail in annoyance. "I haven't caught it in the moons that Milkstar was sick, have I?" Though she sounded confident, she felt a hint of fear run through her.

"I'll give you a few dried blueberries, just to be safe," Pricklestream said decidedly. "And the little ones can have the juices of some catmint and borage, to lower their fever and hopefully stop the cough before it hits. I'll be right back." She turned and whisked away, Gingertail following her once again.

Mintleap licked her kits gently, imagining her love was visibly flowing into them. _You must be strong,_ she pleaded, willing her moons of strength to them. _I cannot lose you so soon._

An anxious, hushed voice sounded outside the nursery before Pricklestream and Gingertail reappeared. Pricklestream was carrying a rhubarb leaf filled with sweet-smelling herbs and berries. She laid it gently on the floor, revealing the plants within.

"Alright," she mewed briskly, pushing two wide, fuzzy leaves toward Gingertail. "Chew this thoroughly. It's going to be slightly bitter. Mintleap, these are for you." She rolled three sweet-smelling blueberries toward the queen. "They will help boost your immune system, Starclan willing." She crushed a few under her paw on a leaf, then dabbed a soft ball of moss in the juice. She picked up Beekit and placed him on the soft ground closer to her, motioning for Gingertail to hold the kit on his side. She gently placed the moss around his mouth, and dripped a few drops of the juice into his jaws, opened in an angry cry at being pulled from his mother. "Here, Gingertail. You drink the rest of the juice in the moss. It can't hurt to protect you too."

At last, she turned back to Mintleap and her daughters, chewing something. Without speaking, she gently opened Flightkit's tiny mouth and trickled some of the juice into it, Honeykit quickly following. She spat the rest out onto the rhubarb leaf, then repeated the same process with the sweet-smelling catmint.

"Okay," she sighed at last. She placed Beekit back at Mintleap's belly. "You nurse him for now, but try to keep him somewhat separate from his sisters. I'm going to stay with you in here until this has passed." She looked over at Gingertail. "Will you go tell Fallenbr- I mean Fallenstar that if she needs me, she can find me here? You can go sleep in the elder's den for now."

Without a word, Gingertail nodded and padded softly out of the den. Mintleap once again buried her nose in Flightkit's fur, desperate for any sign she was getting better, even though it was far too soon for the herbs to be working. Anxiety pulsed through her like waves on the shore until at last, she fell into a disturbed sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Updates here won't be as frequent as A New Era, mostly because I don't want to spoil anything by accident. But here's a second chapter. I cried a little bit writing it, poor Mintleap!

* * *

Mintleap awoke from her sleep. She felt the bodies of her daughters squirming restlessly beside her and blinked open her eyes. _They're both still here,_ she thought with a sigh of relief. She bent down to lap at their fevered pelts and was shook by a wave of fear at how warm they were.

"All will be well, my sweet daughters," she whispered, pulling them close to her belly. Honeykit wriggled toward the gray queen's belly to nurse, but Flightkit just remained where she was, shivering and moaning feebly. She bent down to lap her kit's fur the wrong way to try to warm her up, but she felt the warmth leaving the tiny kit's fur like the sun setting on a warm day.

Panick shook Mintleap. She stood up quickly, dislodging the nursing Honeykit, and darted to Pricklestream's den. Beekit was sleeping, pressed close to Gingertail as she gazed at him with anxious blue eyes. She looked up at her denmate.

"Mintleap?" She asked, her mew taut with anxiety. "What's wrong? Pricklestream!"

The silver she-cat emerged, herbs clinging to her fluffy pelt. "Mintleap? What's going on?" Her voice was calm, but her pelt bristled.

"Flightkit is worse," Mintleap wailed desperately. "She won't eat, and she's so warm, but getting cold!"

She turned and ran back to the nursery, as if she'd forgotten that her helpless kits were there alone. She heard Pricklestream's pawsteps close behind her, but did not stop until she'd reached the nursery.

Flightkit's chest rose and fell rapidly, her breaths shallow and weak. Mintleap licked her pelt desperately, feeling the panic well in her like the tide. "Come on, Flightkit," she urged between licks, willing the tiny she-kit to stir. Pricklestream just watched on with sad yellow eyes. "Why aren't you doing anything?"

Pricklestream nosed Mintleap gently away from the kit, then watched her for a moment. "She's gone, Mintleap," she whispered, her voice low with sadness. Mintleap let out a terrible wail as she fell to her paws. She groomed the kit's fur to be flat, but it did not shine like it should have. _Like a warrior's,_ she thought bitterly, mourning the life her daughter would never have.

Brackenfall shouldered into the nursery, his eyes dark with grief when he saw his mate huddled over the body of the dead kit. "Oh, my love," he said, his voice a low moan. Mintleap turned to Honeykit, who's pale shape was wriggling closer to her belly.

"We won't lose her, too," she vowed, laying on her side and guiding her daughter with her paw. Brackenfall laid beside her and licked her ears, grief pulsing from him with each stroke of his tongue. Mintleap continued to groom her dead baby gently, dreading the moment that Pricklestream would raise her head and inform her she had to take the kit for her vigil. The queen pressed her nose to the kitten's fur, silently vowing to never forget the smell.

Eventually, as Mintleap had dreaded, the silver medicine cat padded softly to the grieving family. "I know it's hard," she murmured, her tail drooping, "but I must take Flightkit for her vigil. Sweetclaw will take care of her on her journey to Starclan, as will I."

Mintleap looked down at her daughter with wide yellow eyes. "I will never forget you," she promised. "May you find good hunting, warm shelter, and love where you are. And no illness," she added, her voice catching in her throat.

She gently dislodged Honeykit before standing, Brackenfall following her shortly. She turned to the sleeping kit in the nest. "I will be back in just a moment," she promised, before picking up Flightkit's limp body and carrying her into the clearing.

Fallenstar and Sweetclaw dipped their heads in somber greeting. Mintleap laid Flightkit gently at their paws. "Goodbye, my sweet daughter," she breathed, sadness wrapping around her like ivy. "Until we meet again."

Mintleap turned and padded back to the nursery. _I won't sleep until Honeykit is better,_ she vowed, pushing into the warm den. The stench of death remained, but she took no notice as she once again guided her youngest kit to her belly. Honeykit nursed weakly, but she nursed. Mintleap rested her head on her paws and watched her tiny golden paws paddle at her belly until, despite her promises, sleep pulled her away.

* * *

Flightkit stretched open her eyes for the very first time. The illness that had wracked her body seemed to not be present as she stood up and padded among the cats around her.

Their fur was all stained silver in the moonlight. She noticed one cat, a dark gray she-cat, had her nose pressed into a tiny ball of fur. Flightkit padded closer, curious, before she realized with a chill of horror that the tiny ball of fur was her.

"Am I… dead?" She asked out loud.

"Yes," a voice behind her said, warm and low. She whipped around to see a large, pale silver tom standing behind her, stardust sparking as he took a few steps toward her. "But you have nothing to be afraid of."

Her small frame shook, and she felt her fur bristle. "I am scared. What about my family?" She glanced toward the nursery. "What about Mintleap? How will I eat?"

The great tom purred and sat before her. "Where we are going, there will be no need to eat, as you will feel no hunger. You can still hunt, and enjoy prey, but you will not starve without your mother. If that were true, we would never take kits." Hurt edged his mew, but he only dipped his head to the tiny she-cat. "Come along, now. You have many friends waiting for you."

She followed him, noticing for the first time the stars at her own paws. "Was I always going to die?"

He didn't turn back to face her as he answered. "Yes, young one," he sighed, sorrow flowing from him like rain from the sky.

"Then why was I even born?" Without realizing, they were padding up into sky, the stars seeming to swallow them. When they broke through the darkness of night, a lush forest surrounded them. Their pelts were dappled by sunlight filtering through the trees, and she could hear movements and smell cats all around.

The tom beckoned her toward a wide, flat rock, where they lay together, the warmth seeping into their pelts. "You were born because like every other cat, you have a destiny. You had to live, even if briefly, to die. We have been waiting for you since the moment you first stirred in the safety of your mother's belly."

She looked him up and down, taking in the weight of his words. "I was born because I had to _die?"_ She couldn't believe that her life was supposed to be that short. "Who are you, anyway?"

"I am Milkstar," he said, his whiskers twitching at the young cat's spirit. "I died the night you were kitted. My destiny was fulfilled, and it was my job from the moment I died to walk you to your home here." As he spoke, a small silver tabby emerged from the ferns that surrounded them, her green eyes glowing with love. "Ah, hello Whitewillow. I wondered when you would join us."

Whitewillow dipped her head to the leader before turning to Flightkit. "I am your mother's mother," she purred, pressed her nose to the gray kitten's cheek. "I'm heartbroken you had to come to us so soon, but I am so pleased to meet you. You have a lot to do and a lot to learn, little one." Her voice rang pleasantly through the trees, and Flightkit felt herself padding closer to her to be among her warm fur.

"What is it I have to do?" She asked, glancing from the former leader to her grandmother and back. They looked at each other before looking down at her.

"We don't know yet," Milkstar admitted after a moment. "Here, why don't you come with us so we can show you what we've seen? Pay no mind to other cats, but be kind when they greet you. There are only friends here."

He stood up and disappeared into the undergrowth. Whitewillow beckoned her with her tail before following, and Flightkit quickly scampered after her, tail high. They padded along a well-trodden trail, the warm scents of many cats wreathing around them. Several cats called out along the way - a ginger tom so dark he was almost black with warm green eyes, a young black she-cat, a large black and brown tom - but Whitewillow and Milkstar only dipped their heads and padded on.

The path brought them down into a valley, where two streams met to form a swirling pool. When they reached the edge, Flightkit was astonished by all she saw in it - her birth, her death, her standing here. She saw Beekit, nursing strongly from Gingertail, and she saw Mintleap watching Honeykit with desperate eyes clouded by grief.

"What is this place?" She asked at last, pulling her attention away from the swirling waters that seemed to whisper her name.

"We call this the Looking Pool," Milkstar answered, looking down into the water. A silver tabby with a white muzzle was sharing tongues with a brown tabby, her yellow eyes warm. "When we look into it's waters, we can see what our kin and friends are doing. If we ask, we can see the past as well, and pieces of the future." He motioned for her to look in the water. "Come, see what we saw on the night you were formed."

She looked into the crystal-clear depths and again, more images appeared. This time, she saw Mintleap talking eagerly with Brackenfall, her eyes shining with excitement. _She was telling him she was expecting,_ the kit guessed, but said nothing as the water pulled that image away and a new one appeared. A starless expanse of sky became visible, and then suddenly, one star appeared. The star became brighter before falling down into the Mapleclan camp. A shining light was appearing from the nursery, different from the star that fell, and then suddenly the image was washed away. She looked up at the two cats around her, questions bubbling up in her throat, but she kept quiet and waited.

"We called this a vision of stars," Whitewillow informed her. "We believe you're the bright, shining star who returns to the Mapleclan camp."

"Wouldn't it be Milkstar?" She asked, remembering how he had been tasked with guiding her from the clearing to the stars. The large tom shook his head.

"It was a task," he said, his amber eyes warm. "The pool shows bits and pieces of destiny. Would you like to see more?"

The gray kit nodded eagerly and silently asked to learn about her littermates, who hopefully she wouldn't meet for a long while. The pool showed her an image of Honeykit, her pale pelt damp from just being kitted. She was curled into Mintleap's belly, a darkness surrounding her, and suddenly she was awake and strong and causing trouble around camp. She raced through the woods alongside a black and white cat. Then the pool was tinged red with blood, and the images were washed away. Trembling, Flightkit watched as Beekit appeared, running around camp, pestering anyone who dared to answer any of his questions. He was catching prey, purring alongside the shape of another cat, and then like Honeykit's future, the pool became red. Claws flashed, and then the water was water once more.

"I don't like that," she said matter of factly. "What does that have to with me, anyway?"

"When you saw the vision of stars, I asked for your destiny," Milkstar told her. He rested his tail on her shoulder. "Now that you've seen all of that, how about we teach you to hunt?"

Flightkit nodded, her mind whirling with questions left unanswered. She followed him back to the forest, vowing to come back to the Pool again soon.


End file.
